Becoming the Enemy

Published on 2 October 2025 at 23:31

         "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Matthew 16:26. 

 

"Faith of our fathers - living still - in spite of dungeon, fire and sword..." On May 3, 2011, my step-father, Pat, asked me an important question. "What is your opinion about this?" He had just told me that Osama Bin Laden, the man responsible for the 9/11 attacks, had been killed. American soldiers had stormed his hiding place and shot him dead. It seemed there was some controversy about what they did. Should they have taken him captive and put him on trial instead? Pat explained that there was some concern about whether Osama Bin Laden's followers would retaliate against America, but that wasn't my concern. I couldn't bring myself to answer Pat's question. I was afraid that under the circumstances, my answer would sound ridiculous. 

 

There are few things in life that I view as a black and white issue. Killing is one of them. Self-defense is a justifiable reason for killing, as is killing when it is the only way to save the life of someone else. However, when we kill someone in cold blood - even someone who is a cold-blooded killer himself - we become like him. Nothing done in cold blood is acceptable, regardless of who the victim is, or how much evil he has done. It is not acceptable to behave in a such a way to anyone - even someone like Osama Bid Laden. Was I crazy for thinking that? Was I crazy for thinking that we should respect the life of someone who had no respect for the lives of others? Were my lofty ideals completely unrealistic in the face of the practical problems of life? That's what my biological father would have said. Dad could never understand how I felt about things like that. How could I explain it to Pat? So I completely "chickened out". I ended up saying that I was too busy to pay attention to what was going on in the news, and that I had no opinion.

 

For as long as I can remember, there was always some ruthless dictator from a foreign country that America was having a problem with. "Ayatollah Khomeini is biting off more than he can chew." That was what my seventh grade social studies teacher said, while giving a lesson about current events. "Mr. Gorbachav, take down that wall!" Reagan declared. Then there was Saddam Hussein. He was what Desert Storm was all about. The man was responsible for the death and suffering of countless people, and I remember saying to my co-workers at the time that I almost wish someone would kill him. I just wanted all the pain and suffering that he was causing to stop. It is hard not to have those kinds of feelings about someone doing so much evil, but for the most part, we as Americans never allowed ourselves to be controlled by our emotions. Alongside these tyrants, America stood firm as the reasonable one. We abided by our principles. We were humane. We treated people with dignity. We refused to stoop to the level of our vicious enemies. It was what separated us from them, and made this country the place where everyone wanted to live. 

 

Its been another unforgettable week. The country was on the brink of a government shutdown, as the president and the secretary of defense met with all the military leaders to lecture them about their appearance and to stop them from being so "wok". Then there was the comment about getting rid of the "stupid rules of engagement". What is that if not a license for the military to be inhumane? At that point I knew we were in trouble. The soul of the country was in jeopardy. We had begun to lose our humanity. The desire for revenge and control had become more important than any of the principles we used to live by. The military will practice in American cities, having gotten rid of the rules of engagement. Practice what? Manhandling the enemy? On whom? Ordinary citizens? Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but its not hard to see where this is going. 

 

There are times in life when we may have to literally fight our Christian brothers and sisters. There may be times when we have to use some type of force in dealing with them. However, when we stop being humane, we hurt ourselves much more than we hurt them. When we stoop to the level of the enemy, it diminishes who we are. It may help us to make some temporary short-term gains, but nothing that we gain from it can be taken with us when it is time for us to pass from this world. In the blink of an eye, we will be standing before God with nothing but a naked soul. Who we are is all that will be left. It is the only thing at that point that will matter. I would like to be judged by God as being better than my worst enemy.   

 

I can't have a conversation with Dad or Pat any more, because they are both deceased. I regret having never answered Pat's question honestly. I regret that I didn't give him a chance to prove that he could understand. I regret that I never told him that his question was one of the most important questions that anyone ever asked me. I am sad that I cannot tell him that I am still thinking about it fourteen years later. My hope is that Pat's soul is aware of this piece of writing and that it answers his question. I hope that Pat understands why I feel the way I do. From up there, maybe Dad can understand it, too. Moreover, I hope that by the time I have gotten there,  I will have become the type of person that all my fathers - Dad, Pat and most importantly God - can be proud of.  

  

                                        "Faith or our fathers - Holy faith - we will be true to thee til death!"

 

 

Add comment

Comments

There are no comments yet.